When it comes to vehicles, a common problem in inclement weather, whether it be hot or cold, is the distribution of climate regulation methods to various areas of a vehicle. For instance, in the case of most consumer cars and trucks, a set of vents are located in the front dashboard of the vehicle. These vents provide reasonable comfort to those in the driver and front passenger seat. However, these vents are ineffective when it comes to providing climate regulation to the passengers in rear seats. Typically, either the rear passengers receive subpar climate regulation or the driver and front passenger(s) are required to endure excessive climate regulation in order to provide reasonable climate regulation to those in the rear seats.
The inability of current vehicle based climate regulation systems to provide cooling or heating to passengers in rear seats can be hazardous or discomforting to those passengers. This may be particularly exacerbated where the rear passengers are incapable of expressing their discomfort (e.g., pets, infants).
Current solutions include modifying one or more of the dashboard vents with an affixed cover and tubing system to provide climate regulation to a passenger. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,437,883 to Baldal, a system is disclosed whereby a permanent or semi-permanent modification is made to a dashboard vent whereby a vent cover and tube system is applied that allows climate regulation through a single tube. Disadvantageously, the system is difficult to install and remove and may cause damage to the vehicle in the process.
Another problem with current systems are that, once attached, the tubing is attached to the vent and is not removable without removing the connection to the dashboard vent. Disadvantageously, if there are no rear passengers, the system actually serves to weaken the climate regulation to those in the front seats. Additionally, the tubing may take up space or cause clutter in the front seat that may not be desirable when no rear passengers are present.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a vehicle based air-conditioning extension apparatus that connects to a dashboard vent of a vehicle without causing damage to the vehicle, does not require significant modification of the existing dashboard vent, is easily removable and provides a tubing system that is conveniently detachable. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be explained and will become obvious to one skilled in the art through the summary of the invention that follows.